Apart
by ProudToBeAGinger
Summary: Being in a long-distance relationship was hard, but being in love made it worth it. NaLu, AU.
1. Chapter 1

Sooo as promised I'm going to write a long distance NaLu fanfiction whoop whoop! My very first ONGOING NaLu fic. Kind of nervous. Lets get this show on the road! Oh, this is AU and NO MAGIC. Sorry. But to make up for it, there will be lemons! (I love NaLu smut.)

Pairings: NaLu, Gruvia, Jerza, GaLe, tell me what other pairings you want me to include!

Summary: Being in a long distance is hard, but being in love makes it all worth it.

_Backstory: So in the prologue they're in eighth grade. But the actual story is going to take place whenever they are sophmores in high school. Lucy and Levy are penpals that became best friends and decided to stay in touch. _

And thats honestly it, lol. Enjoy!

Apart: Prologue

"Lu-chan!" Yelled a petite blunette over her computer screen. The girl whom she was directing her message to smiled and gave a light wave.

"Hi Levy-chan."

"How are you doing? It's been awhile since we Skyped!"

"Yeah, I know, and I'm really sorry about that." The blonde said putting her head down enough to stare into her lap. "Father has been keeping me pretty busy lately."

Levy smiled sadly when Lucy said her father. Lucy and her father didn't have the greatest relationship. From Levy's understanding is that Lucy's father, Jude Heartfillia, neglects the poor blonde to try to establish buisness deals. Levy shook her head.

"It's okay Lu-chan! Just promise to Skype me more?" She asked, kind of afraid of what the blondes answer might be.

Lucy looked up from her lap and gave a small smile. "I'll try." They were silent for a few moments before deciding to change the subject. "So Levy-chan." The small blue haired girl looked up to her best friend giving her a questioning look. "How are you and Gajeel?" At that name Levy blushed madly.

"E-Eh? W-We're good." Lucy snickered at her best friends reaction. "Sounds like you guys are better than good."

"We're just friends Lu-chan! Honest!" Levy said trying to hide her reddened face which obviously didn't work since Lucy had already seen it.

"Keep telling yourself that Levy-chan."

"We're only in the eighth grade! I'm to young to do that stuff!" Levy said trying to reason with the busty blonde but at no anvil. Lucy blinked.

"Do what stuff?"

"Y-You know... _that..."_

"I'm sorry Levy-chan." Lucy said teasingly. "I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. I think you should tell your penpal."

"You're the worst person ever." Levy muttered earning a laugh from Lucy. Levy took a deep breath and said her statement so fast Lucy barely understood what she had said. "Idon'twanttohavesex..."

Lucy chuckled. "What was that?"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE 14 AND PREGNANT DAMMIT!" Levy flushed earning a whole hearted fit of laughter from the blonde.

"Well there goes my plans for tonight." Levy and Lucy both jumped at the new voice in the conversation. Lucy looked up to see no other than Gajeel. He had long black hair reaching the middle of his back, not to mention piercings covering all of his face. He looked at the computer screen, his dark eyes narrowed.

"Oi shorty, is this your penpal chick you always talk about?" The dark man asked and Levy nodded and turned to him. "The bigger issue is, what do you think you're doing in _my _house! This is breaking and entering you know! A criminal offense!" At Levy's statement Gajeel scoffed and made himself comfortable on her couch.

Gajeel smirked. "Oh and who's going to call the cops shrimp? You?" Gajeel laughed and pulled out his phone. "I don't think so."

Levy grumbled. "You're an asshole." Lucy was dumbfounded as she seen Gajeel shrug off the comment.

"Is this like.. normal?" Lucy asked.

"Unfortunately." Levy grumbled and Gajeel snorted once again.

"Don't listen to her bunny girl. I make her life a lot better, though she doesn't like to admit it." Lucy blinked in confusion.

"Did you just call me bunny girl?" Lucy said pointing to herself. Gajeel scoffed.

"Yeah, he likes to give people nicknames." Levy sighed out. "I'm shrimp, shorty, short stack, midget-"

"She gets the picture shrimpy." Gajeel grumbled looking to the short girls computer screen. "Just look at your shirt."

Lucy complied and looked down to her outfit. She had on a black tank top which showed off major cleavage with a playboy bunny symbol on it and had a pair of light blue shorts that barely went past her ass. Lucy looked up.

"I know what you mean now Levy." It was Gajeel's turn to look up at the two confused.

"What's she talking about short stack?" The two girls giggled to each other.

"Oh, nothing." The petite blunette said grinning like crazy.

"Oi, you better tell-"

"WHAT UP PEOPLE!" said a new voice that caught everyone's attention.

Lucy looked up and seen pink? She rubbed her eyes a bit to see if she imagined it. Nope she didn't. There was someone on her best friend's computer screen with _pink _hair.

"Natsu?" Lucy snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Levy say his name. "What are you doing here?" The pink haired male shrugged.

"Wendy's at girl scouts or some shit like that and I have to pick her up in about an hour and I seen metal freak come in here, so I did to!" He said with a proud smirk on his face. Gajeel groaned and pinched the space in between his eyes.

"You can't just break into people's houses Salamander." Levy gave the black haired male a look disbelief.

"Speak for yourself you hypocrite!" Levy shouted spinning around in her chair. Natsu gave a laugh.

"Calm down Levy! Gajeel came here to-"

"Shut your mouth dick lick." Gajeel said interrupting the pink haired males statement. Natsu narrowed his black eyes.

"You wanna fight bitch?" He said readying his fist and Gajeel standing up cracking his knuckles.

"Born ready."

"NOT IN MY HOUSE YOUR NOT!" Levy screamed earning the attention from the two much taller males. "My parents would never forgive me if they came home to find the whole house destroyed by two complete idiots."

"Hey! I'm not an idiot." Natsu said pouting.

"Could've fooled me." Natsu narrowed his eyes at Gajeel and hit him in the arm. Gajeel grolwed ready to punch back.

"Gajeel..." Levy said lowly. Gajeel gulped.

"But-"

"No buts! Be the bigger person." Natsu laughed and stuck his tongue out at him.

"Yeah Gajeel be the bigger person." Natsu said mockingly. Gajeel grumbled something inaudiable under his breath and sat back down on the couch. Smirking in victory Natsu looked over to Levy's computer and seen a girl on the screen. Not just a girl, but probably the _prettiest _girl he's ever seen.

"Oi Levy! Who's that?" Natsu said going over to her and propping an elbow on the back of her chair. Lucy smiled.

"I'm Lucy."

"Well hey there Luigi! I'm Natsu!" He said with his one of a kind grin. Lucy felt a vein stick out of her head.

"Lucy! Not Luigi." She shouted correcting him. Natsu raised his hands up in defense. 

"Woah there. Calm down Luce! Just a joke." He said looking at her. He couldn't stop looking at her big doe brown eyes that went perfectly with her short blonde hair. He tried not to lower his eyes to her chest, but couldn't resist. He felt his face heating up looking at it. Shaking away his thoughts he decided to say, "Hey Luce! Why don't you come over?" Lucy's smile turned sad.

"Oh how I'd love to but..." She said he scrunched his face up in confusion.

"But what?"

"She lives three hours away from here." Natsu formed an oh with his mouth at Levy's statement.

"Well, when are ya planning on coming to visit?"

Lucy put her finger to her chin thinking. Thankfully, Levy answered for her.

"We've tried multiple times, multiple different ways. Unfortunately her dad stopped her from coming. So we just decided to meet when she turns 18 when there's nothing legally he can do to stop her." Natsu's mouth fell open.

"That's like in..." Natsu counted with his fingers. "Wait, how old are you?"

"I'm 13." Natsu looked at her dumbly. "I started school early." Natsu just nodded. He was confused, he rarely heard of a 13 year old eighth grader. He continued to count with his fingers.

"Thats in five years!"

"Glad you know how to do basic math." Gajeel commented from the couch in the background earning the middle finger from Natsu.

Lucy smiled sadly. "Yeah, unfortunately nothing I can do until that point." Lucy noticed how Natsu frowned at what she had said. She wishes she can go meet Levy. Its something shes wanted to do since she joined the penpal program in sixth grade. She'd do anything to get away from her father.

"LUCY HEARTFILIA GET OUT HERE THIS ISTANT!" A booming voice sounded throughout her room. Lucy sighed and looked at the computer screen noticing three concerned glances coming her way.

"I'll be fine guys! Promise!" She said with a smile the three knew was fake. "It was nice meeting you Natsu and Gajeel. I'll text you later Levy-chan." With that the blonde turned off her computer and stood up and walked in the hallway.

"Yes father?" Jude looked to his daughter and scoffed.

"We're meeting another family to try to establish a business deal today and here you are dressed like a total tramp." Lucy winced at her father's cruel words. "Get dressed properly and come down for dinner. They have a son that I'd like you to get accustomed with." With that Jude walked away. Lucy sighed.

Of course her father wanted to use her to establish a business deal.

_xxxxxx_

The three were silent in the room until Natsu decided to speak. "Her dad isn't nice is he?"

Levy shook her head, tears brimming her eyes.

"No he's not." If only they knew the truth.

_Later that night _

**To: Levy**

**From: Lucy**

_Hey Levy-chan! Just got done with a business dinner. Dad tried to set me up with another one of his business partners sons. Ugh! I can't stand it anymore._

**To: Lucy**

**From: Levy**

_I'm so sorry Lu-chan! I wish there was something I could do to help..._

**To: Levy**

**From: Lucy**

_Hey its not your fault! Talking to you gets my mind of things. What's new?_

**To: Lucy**

**From: Levy**

_Not much. Oh hey, you remember Natsu?_

**To: Levy**

**From: Lucy**

_Yes. What about him?_

**To: Lucy**

**From: Levy**

_Well, he won't stop bugging me about you. He asked me if it was okay for me to give him your number?_

Lucy froze at the text message. She already had a long distance friendship that hurt like hell. Could she manage another one? Shaking her head Lucy replied.

**To: Levy**

**From: Lucy**

_Sure! I don't mind._

She did mind, but it would be rude to reject his request. They weren't going to get _that _close right?

**To: Lucy**

**From: Levy**

_Okay! I'm giving him your number then I'm heading off to bed! Goodnight Lu-chan!_

**To: Levy**

**From: Lucy**

_Goodnight._

Lucy sat browsing on her phone for about five minutes when there was a message that popped up on her phone.

**From: Unknown**

**To: Lucy**

_Oi! Is this Lucy? If it is, its me! Natsu!_

Lucy chuckled at the message. He was talking to her like they were talking in person.

**To: Natsu**

**From: Lucy**

_Yeah its Lucy! Whats up?_

And thats when everything started.

_End Prologue_

How was that guys? I'm dying for feedback! I'm going to be posting it on Tumblr and Fanfiction. Remember, I take requests, comments, concerns, suggestions! Until next time my friends. I know this chapter was short, but its the prologue! The chapters are probably going to be 2000 to 3000 words a piece if not longer. I really don't know how many chapters this is going to be, just that I have the main plot figured out. Bahahaha. I'm the go with the flow person. :P Buh bye!


	2. Chapter 2

_SOOOOO SORRY ABOUT THE LATE UPDATE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! I'LL TRY MY BEST TO UPDATE REGULARLY FROM NOW ON, PROMISE! Without further ado, enjoy chapter 2! _

_**Apart: Chapter 2**_

"Lu-chan!" Levy called when her best friend popped up on the computer screen. The blonde gave a friendly smile.

"Hey Levy-chan." She said, partly distracted since she was busy texting on her cell phone. The bluenette snickered.

"Texting Natsu, ne Lu-chan?" The busty blonde's face instantly reddened at her best friends statement.

"N-No…"

Levy snorted. "Come on Lu-chan, I've been your best friend for three years now! I think i can tell when you're lying." Her face turned redder if it was possible.

"Oh whats it to you!" Lucy scolded teasingly. "So what if I'm texting Natsu…" Levy grinned devilishly.

"Is he finally declaring his undying love for you?" Lucy's head shot up to look at the petite teen with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" Levy rested the palm of her hand on her chin and innocently looked everywhere around the room besides her computer screen which irritated the blonde. "Levy-chan!"

"Oh sorry, thought you were talking to your lover boy." She snickered and her best friend frowned finally finishing the text and placing her phone on the unoccupied spot on her table next to her laptop.

"If you want to know what we're talking about oh so badly…" Lucy paused mid-sentence, a soft smile appearing on her pretty face. "We were talking about Skyping later tonight." The blonde covered her ears when she heard Levy shriek loudly. "What the hell Levy-chan!"

"Sorry Lu-chan, thats just way too cute, not to mention perfect!" Levy said stars appearing in her eyes while Lucy sat back and stared longingly at her best friend wondering what on Earthland was she talking about. "I mean, Natsu's never had a girlfriend, you've never had a boyfriend this-"

"Whoa, whoa calm down there tiger." Lucy said waving her hands in front of her camera in hopes of trying to stop the short blue haired girl from continuing on her rant of how her and Natsu should date. _Again._

"Natsu and I are just friends! Nothing more! We'll never be more…" Lucy said with a hint of disappointment laced in her tone of voice which didn't go unnoticed by Levy.

"He tells me you guys have talked on the phone every night for about five months now." Lucy smiled a bit.

"Yeah, we have." Lucy's brown eyes turned glossy. "But there's just one problem…"

"The distance…" Levy said softly while Lucy nodded in agreement.

"I would love to give a relationship with Natsu a try, I really would but I have no evidence of if he has feelings for me." Lucy sighed heavily as she continued. "Even if he did… with the distance… it just wouldn't work out." Disappointment now obvious in her voice. Levy smiled sadly.

"Stranger things have happened Lu-chan." Lucy just shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess you're right." Levy smiled sadly at how her friends happy mood suddenly started diminishing. Levy wished she could tell Lucy that Natsu liked her more than a friend, _way _more than a friend, but it wasn't her call to tell her that. Levy sighed, remembering her and Natsu's conversation at school the last week.

_Sometime Last Week_

"_Hey! Levy!" The bluenette turned and looked at the blob of pink hair running down the hallway. Levy gave a smile as a greeting._

"_Hey Natsu. What's up?" Levy asked mildly concerned. It wasn't everyday Natsu came running to her locker. Natsu looked at her, his cheeks lightly tinted red._

"_C-Can I talk to you about something? In private?" Levy blinked in confusion, slowly growing uneasy and curious about what the pink haired teen wanted to talk to her about. _

"_Sure. You can walk me home while we talk about it." Natsu looked at her._

"_Lug nut won't care will he?" Levy snorted._

"_Gajeel skipped today." Natsu sighed in relief._

"_Good then the bitch won't bitch at me." Natsu gave a toothy grin while Levy rolled her eyes at Natsu's name calling. "Let's go!"_

"_So Natsu, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Levy questioned looking over at Natsu who had a solemn face looking forward as they trudged their way to Levy's house._

"_Is it weird to say that I might have a crush on someone?" Natsu blurted out of the blue which surprised Levy so much she almost lost her footing. _

"_Y-You h-have a w-what?" Levy barely managed to get out. "You have a crush? On a girl?" Natsu snorted at his short friends remark._

"_No, I have a crush on Ice Queen. Of course I have a crush on a girl!" Natsu said not to calmly at the awestruck girl._

"_On who!?" Levy pressed on further. She admitted Natsu wasn't all that bad looking, and also pretty popular for a freshman in high school. She figured it had something to do with his athleticism since he played football, basketball and soccer. But she had never, EVER seen Natsu Dragneel show any interest in any girl at any given time since she had met him in Kindergarten. _

"_Uh…" Natsu said bashfully, "Thats what I'm confused about. I don't know if its right to have a crush on her since I haven't really met her yet." Levy stopped dead in her tracks knowing where the conversation was going. _

"_You dont mean..."_

_Natsu nodded. "I think I like Lucy more than a friend." Natsu stopped in his tracks as well and fisted his hands in his abnormal hair. "But I haven't met her yet! And what if she doesn't like me back! And the distance-"_

"_Calm down Natsu." Levy said putting her small hand in the air to stop the babbling teen. "You're really overthinking this. I mean I knew you and Lucy talked, but I didn't think you would talk to her enough to develop feelings for her."_

_Natsu looked at his short friend untangling his fingers from his rose colored hair. He smile subconsciously thinking of how much he really did talk to the pretty blonde girl. "Yeah, I guess I do. I really didn't realize how much me and her actually do talk." Levy raised an eyebrow at his statement._

"_Oh? And how much would that be?" The bluenette inquired._

_Natsu put his index finger on his chin while his thumb stroked the area by his lips in a thinking manner. "Well, we video chat two to three times a week. And for the past five months we've talked on the phone every night." Levy's mouth fell open in shock at what Natsu had just said and how he casually just shrugged at her reaction. "... Hearing her voice helps me sleep at night okay?" He said his cheeks lightly dusted with pink. Levy gave a sly smirk towards Natsu's direction._

"_Who knows Natsu? Lucy might feel the same way." Levy said before stepping inside her front door. Natsu looked at the door Levy just walked in a scoffed._

"_Yeah right." He muttered under his breath, "How can a girl that beautiful like someone like me?" He said before _

_End of Flashback_

"Are you okay Levy-chan? You've been awfully quiet for awhile." Lucy said worried about her pen pal. Levy waved her off with one hand while stifling a yawn with the other hand.

"Yeah Lu-chan, I'm just extremely tired. I've had a long day."

"Is everything okay?" Lucy asked even more worried than before. Levy smiled at her best friends concerned face.

"Nothing I can't handle! Just Gajeel and his usual antics are getting on my nerves a wee bit." She said pinching her index and thumb together to emphasize her point.

"Well get to bed Levy-chan! I gotta… um…" Lucy stuttered out looking away from her computer screen. Levy smirked knowingly.

"I know you wanna Skype with your lover boy Lu-chan. All you had to do was say 'Hey Levy-chan I wanna talk to my future husband so get off' I wouldn't have been offended!" Lucy's face reddened for the umpteenth time during their two hour Skype conversation. Levy laughed at her best friend's embarrassment. "I'm only teasing Lu-chan! Have fun talking with Natsu, goodnight and don't let the bedbugs bite! Love you Lu-chan~!" Levy chirped in a sing song voice which made Lucy giggle a little bit at the bookworms silly antics.

"Love you too Levy-chan, goodnight." She seen Levy give her a thumbs up before ending the call. The blonde teen sighed and looked down at her phone and lifted it up to her line of vision seeing that she had received a text from none other than Natsu.

**From: Natsu**

**To: Lucy**

_**Hey Luce! Are you done Skyping with Levy yet?**_

Lucy smiled at Natsu's impatient nature.

**From: Lucy**

**To: Natsu**

_**Yes just finished! Go ahead and call me if you want to. **_

Lucy looked at her computer screen not expecting a reply back from the rose haired teen. She was caught off guard when she heard her phone buzz signalling she had received a text message.

**From: Natsu**

**To: Lucy**

_**Nothing else I'd rather do Lucy. I'm calling right now. **_

Lucy felt her heart rate pick up as she reread the text message over and over again. Why the hell did she feel butterflies in her stomach? She was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard her Skype ringtone go off. She looked on her screen and it said 'incoming call from Natsu Dragneel' without hesitation she answered the call and smiled when the handsome teen teen popped up on her computer screen.

"Hey Natsu." Her heart rate picked up once again when she seen his black eyes look at her while smiling softly.

"Hey Luce." Natsu said grinning his infamous grin which made Lucy's stomach do flips. A comfortable silence fell upon the two until Natsu decided to break it. "How was your day?" Lucy shrugged at his question.

"Same ol, same old. At least today was friday." She replied giving him a small smile. "How about yours, Natsu?" Natsu gulped when she said his name, and he didn't understand why. He honestly just loved it when she said his name.

"Same here, even though I do have some news." Lucy's eyebrows quirked up in interest.

"Oh? And what would that be?" The blonde inquired giving her full attention to the jock on her computer screen. Natsu gulped and darted his eyes away from the screen.

"Levy and I kind of sort of told our friends about you, it was mostly me but thats besides the point." Natsu said the last part rather quickly but Lucy still heard it a giggled a bit at his antics. "They really wanted to meet you, but I told them you live three hours away. So… I was thinking...:"

"You were thinking? Thats dangerous." Lucy said teasingly earning a pout from the boy on her screen.

"Hey, I'm making straight C's right now. My thinking is not dangerous." Lucy rolled her eyes jokingly and waved her hand in a circular motion signalling Natsu to get on with the point.

"Since you and Levy are good friends… and me and you are good friends… I was thinking maybe we could make like a Skype group chat so you could be friends with mine and Levy's friends?" Natsu suggested almost pleadingly. "I mean, it might make it easier when you come up here and visit Levy to know more people…" Lucy stared blankly at the male before her blank expression grew one of fondness. Even though her long distance friendships were already hard enough to deal with, she had learned after talking to Natsu so much that more friends were a great distraction from her troubles she had going on in her life right now.

Especially her father.

"I would love to meet your and Levy-chan's friends." She stated softly and Natsu's face instantly beamed with excitement.

"Really?" He said his grin coming back when he saw the pretty blonde teen nod. Natsu sighed in relief. "Thank Mavis." Lucy giggled.

"Why are you so surprised? Thought I was going to say no?"

"...Maybe."

"Talking to you and Levy is my favorite part of the day." Lucy said smiling brightly which made Natsu's heart skip a beat. "_Especially you, Natsu."_

"Well thats great! I'll make the group tomorrow since its…" Natsu looked at the clock his eyes wide. "Eleven o'clock?! Have we really been talking _that _long?!" Lucy laughed at the boys confused expression.

"I guess time does fly when you're having fun." Lucy said her face full of pure happiness that soon faded when she heard footsteps booming in the hallway outside of her door. Her change in expression did not go unnoticed by Natsu. He gave a sad smile.

"Hey Luce? You okay-"

"I really hate to leave so abruptly, but I really have to go."

"Oh, well okay. Text me?" Lucy smiled slightly

"Of course." Natsu and Lucy said their goodbyes before Natsu ended the call and put his dragged his large hands along his tanned face. He wasn't an idiot, he knew why she had to go since his sensitive hearing picked up the footsteps in her hallway that belonged to no other than Lucy's father. Natsu clenched his jaw shut.

He swore one day he was going to find out the real truth behind Lucy and her father's relationship.

_**End Chapter**_

_I'm soooo sorry for the late chapter! I'll try to update regularly from now on… thank you for those who have reviewed and please keep reviewing they make me smile and give me the inspiration to write and update faster! Until next chapter lovelies ~ _


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